Apparatus for handling pulverized fuel



March 30 1926. 1,578,954

V. Z. CARACRISTI APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVERIZED FUEL Filed August .'50, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNEYS.

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ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES -PATENT 4orifice.

VIRGTNIUS z. .cAnAcnIsrL lor nnoNxvILLn, NEW Yonx, AssIGNon 'ro LocoMo'rIvE :PULvEnIznn FUEL COMPANY, A conPoRA'rIoN or DELAWARE.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PULVERIZED FUEL.

Application led August 30, 1920. Serial No.v 407,042.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VIRGINIUS Z. CARA- oms'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bronxville, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Handling `Pulverized Fuel, of which the following is a speci- Iication.

This invention relates to a device for handling pulverized fuel and particularly to an improved construction of screw conveyor mechanism for feeding the fuel from a supply bin to the pipe or pi'pcs which lead vto the furnace.

It has for its object the provision of what I have termed a split feeder wherein the screw conveyor is housed in a two-part easting, the parts of which are easily secured together after the conveyor has been put in place. Iii general myy improvement contemplates the provision of a feeder composed of a number of separable castings or members which are easy to manufacture'as independent vunits and yreadily and simply assembled at the point of installation.

It is also. an object of my invention to provide a` split feeder having the characteristics above enumeratedwhich embodies suitable means for supplying air to the .fuel and thoroughly mixing it therewith prior to its discharge or delivery into the conduit which conveys it to the furnace. This air supply ,means comprises a chamber adjacent to the fuel inlet hopper through which the conveyor extends. It also involves the provision of a. separable guard .member surrounding the conveyor where it passes through the air supply chamber, said guard member being held in place between two of the castings forming the feeder. p

These and further objects and advanta es will more clearly appear in connection with .the following descrlption of the accompanyr ing drawings which illustrate my invention in its preferred formand wherein Figure'l is a vertical longitudinal section through my improved split |ifeeder; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device;v Figure 3 is a plan view of the base casting showing the conveyor guard member 'in longitudinal section; Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; Figure 5 .is a section on the line 5--5` of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a partial end elevation of Figure 2 illustrating details of the construction.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that my improved feeder comprises an upper casting A having a fuel inlet opening or 4 hopper 1 and a lower or base castingB.

Horizontally disposed flanges'2 and 3 on these castings provide a convenient means for clamping them together by means of the nuts and bolts` 4. The housing formed by these two castings is open ended and the screw conveyor 5 with its axle 6 extends through the4 open ends. One open. end is closed by the member C secured to the-housing by means of the bolts 7 and carrying suitable bearing means for `the axle or shaft 6. A sprocket or pinion or othergsuitable driving wheel 8 is secured to the shaft 6 immediately outside the closure member C. The other open end is closed by the discharge casting or casing D which is secured to the housing-by means of the bolts 9. Thel closureV members andthe housing are provided with suitable vertically disposed flanges 10 and 11 as shown. .-The discharge casting D carries the bearing means for the other end of the conveyor shaft 6, such bearing means being located within a housing 12.

The openings 13 around the upper mar.

gin of the inlet or hopper 1 provide. desirable means for securing the feeder to ithe bottomof a fuel supply bin, .not shown.

Between the outlet casting D and the hopper 1 the castings forming the housing are constructed to provide an air supply chamber E having an air inlet means at 14.

The screw conveyor extends through this air chamber and a guard or conduit 15 is placed around it so that the `fnel can be` conveyed to the point at 4which it enters the outlet casting D where it is mixed with the air enwardly projecting yeet 18 formed on the' inner wall of the chamber E.

The upper casting is provided at one end 'asA loo

with a door 19 and at the other end with ya slide 20 by means of which'the supply of fuel from the bin may be regulated in quantity or cut off entirely. y

At a point immediately above the agitator 16, the outlet or discharge'casing D. is provided with an opening and Va suitable cap or cover l21 therefor which is held in place by means of the strap or yoke 22 pivotedat each side upon the pins 23 and provided with a thumb adjusting screw Q4 ,desi/gne'd.`

around the conveyor 5 after yvhijclrfthese two parts are clamped between the upper and lower castings A and B. The cl'osute member Cand the outlet casing D carrying-their respective` bearings are then applied and cured to the housing by 4means. 'of the bolts 7 and 9 after lvvhich the driving gearS- may be aiired to the shaft 6. I'twill be understood, of course, that the shaft 6 is introduced vil'rto the conveyor proper 5 and the latter secured thereto in any Suitable or desired manner. The shaft 6 maybe introducedfrom either end, in one case the gear 8 being the last member to be applied land in theother 'case I the agitator 16. It will be apparent to those skilled in `the art that a number of methods of assembly might be utilized all of which would, however, be approximately equally simple, expeditious and convenient.vv

I claim: l t 1. A device for handling pulverized fuel comprising, in combinatiom an upper castinghaving a fuel inlet, a base casting, means on the said castings whereby they may be fastened together to form a housing', a fuel outlet opening in thel housing, a screw c onv'eyor projecting through the outlet ope-ning,

-an air admission chamber supplying air to the fuel at the outlet, and a 'separablermember surrounding the conveyor where it extends throu'gh the air chamber, said member being held in place between the tvvoca'sti-ngs.

2. A device forl handling pulveri'zed fuel comprising, in combination, an upper cast'- ing, a base casting, means for securing said castings together to form a housing compris'- ing a lfuel inlet hopper, 'an air `supply "cham` ber adjacent the hopper, a screw conveyor extendingacross the bottom oftlieehopper 'and through the air chamber, a fuel 'outlet i from the air chamber, and a separable member surrounding the conveyor from `the hopperte the felnou'tlen'said separable mem ber being held in place between the two castings..

comprising, in combination, a split housing having 'a fuel inlet opening, a neck at one .end and a tubularl member 'clamped in fat the other `and, va convfayorin said housing surrounded at one end by the Aneck andffat the 'other end by ythe tubular -xneinber, the

a A device fo' handling'pulvrized fuel' thereto.v

4; .A feeder, for. plyei'zed "naeal 'cojprism-g a 'substantiallyhorizontally disposed. -sc'rew` conveyor, 'a tivo part' housing split substantially hor'iiontally Yand fa tubular member surrounding an end portion of ne screw, saidtwo-par't yhousing and said tubu-1 larr'nember cooperating when assembled to divide the housing into. an inlet compare ment and a separate. compartment surround'- ing'said member, and means for admitting air lto the last mentioned compartment togetheliyvith an elbow like discharge casing' secured tothe air compartment and a vshaft for the screw having a'bearing in the discharge casing. t

'In v`testimony whereof I have hereunto signed finyname.` y y n VIRGINIUS Z.- CARACRISTI. 

